- Russia says Bashar al-Assad has decided to resign from the presidency.
- He adds that the ousted president was instructed to carry out a peaceful transfer of power.
- Moscow is extremely concerned about developments in Syria: Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
As Syrian rebels announced a curfew in Damascus after overthrowing the Syrian president, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Sunday that Bashar al-Assad had left office and left the country after giving orders for a peaceful handover. of power.
In a statement, the ministry did not say where Assad is now and said Russia has not participated in talks about his departure.
“Russia did not participate in these negotiations,” the ministry said.
Moscow was extremely concerned about developments in Syria and urged all parties to refrain from violence, he said.
“We urge all parties involved to refrain from the use of violence and resolve all governance issues through political means,” the statement said.
“In this regard, the Russian Federation is in contact with all Syrian opposition groups.”
He said Russia's military bases in Syria had been placed on high alert, but there was no serious threat to them at this time.
Meanwhile, Syrian rebels announced a curfew in Damascus from 4 p.m. local time to 5 a.m.
Assad, who had crushed all forms of dissent, left Damascus for an unknown destination earlier on Sunday, two senior army officers said. Reutersas the rebels said they had entered the capital without signs of army deployment.
This statement came amid reports claiming Assad's possible death in a Syria Air plane crash.
The flight took off from Damascus airport around the time it was reported that the capital had been taken by rebels, according to data from the flight radar website.
The plane initially flew toward Syria's coastal region, a stronghold of Assad's Alawite sect, but then made a sharp U-turn and flew in the opposite direction for a few minutes before disappearing from the map, foreign media reports suggested.
Assad had not spoken publicly since the sudden rebel advance a week ago, when insurgents took northern Aleppo in a surprise attack before marching on a succession of cities as front lines crumbled.
Syrians walk through Assad's palaces
Groups of Syrians strolled through President Bashar al-Assad's palaces on Sunday after his overthrow, wandering from room to room, posing for photographs and, some of them, taking furniture or ornaments.
Video obtained by Reuters It showed people entering the Al-Rawda Presidential Palace, as children ran through the large halls and men slid a large trunk across the ornate floor.
Several men carried elegant chairs on their shoulders. In a warehouse, cabinets had been ransacked and objects scattered on the floor.
Video of another palace, Muhajreen Palace, verified by ReutersIt showed groups of men and women walking on a white marble floor and through tall wooden doors. A man carried a vase in his hand and a large cupboard stood empty with the doors ajar.
The overthrow of Assad
Syrian rebels declared the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad after taking control of Damascus on Sunday, ending his family's rule after more than 13 years of civil war in a seismic moment for the Middle East.
The rebels also dealt a blow to the influence of Russia and Iran in the region, key allies that propped up Assad during critical moments of the civil war.
The Syrian army command notified officers on Sunday that Assad's regime had ended, a Syrian official who was informed of the move told Reuters.
“We celebrate with the Syrian people the news of the release of our prisoners and their chains and the announcement of the end of the era of injustice in Sednaya prison,” the rebels said, referring to a large prison on the outskirts of Damascus where the Syrian government detained thousands.
The Syrian rebel coalition said Sunday that it continues to work to complete the transfer of power in Syria to a transitional governing body with full executive powers.
Thousands of people in cars and on foot gathered in a main square in Damascus waving and chanting “Freedom” after a half-century of rule by the Assad family, witnesses said.
The dramatic collapse also marks a dramatic moment for the Middle East, undermining Russia and Iran, which have lost a key ally at the heart of the region, and creating more uncertainty as the war in the Middle East rages.
